Taken
by Anonymous176
Summary: While riding up to Sacramento, Heath and Audra run into one of Heath's old friends, James. However, James isn't the boy Heath once knew, and he causes trouble when he kidnaps Audra.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Audra. If we don't hurry we're gonna miss the party," Heath shouted up the staircase.

The two were going to meet the rest of the family who were already in Sacramento. The family had been invited to a party hosted by some old friends. Nick and Jarrod left with their mother a couple days earlier, hoping to do a bit of sight seeing and shopping.

Audra had a dress fitting, and Heath, being the great brother he is, decided to wait back with his little sister. He used it as an excuse to not go up earlier though, because he really didn't care about what all Sacramento had to offer. There was nothing there he hadn't already seen before.

Audra finally came down the steps, wearing her favorite riding outfit.

"How do I look?" Audra asked.

"You're wearing that to the party?" Heath asked.

"Of course not. I have the dress Jarrod got me for Christmas packed in a small bag," Audra said.

"Making those poor horses carry more than they need to?" Heath said.

"I was the one who suggested we take a train or stagecoach. Besides, it's not as comfortable to ride in a dress as it is in this," Audra said, "Do you think I should change?"

"You look fine. We don't have time for you to change anyways, we need to go. I already got the horses saddled," Heath responded, taking the small bag out of Audra's hand. He grabbed the other and lead her out to the horses.

They each got on their horse and began their day journey to Sacramento. Heath was glad Audra could keep up with him, not a lot of girls rode fast on their horses. They rode for a few hours, talking about their usual things: the ranch, dresses, and Nick's anger. They both bet when they saw Nick he would loudly state, "Well look who decided to show up."

After another hour of riding, Heath and Audra decided to stop at a town on the way for food. Upon arriving, they tied their horses and went in "Buffalo Bodega" to eat.

Inside, the two sat down and ordered.

"This place is nice, have you ever been to this town before?" Audra asked.

"Not once," Heath said.

"That's strange. Don't you and Nick ride up this direction a lot?" Audra asked.

"Yes, but never this particular way," Heath said.

"Hm, well that's-"

"Heath Barkley!" Someone said loudly, making everyone's head turn. It was a man, tall, dark haired, and a fit.

"Well, I never thought I'd see you again," The man said.

"James Patterson?" Heath asked in amazement.

"The one and only," The man, James, said, hugging Heath.

"I thought you decided to settle in Oregon," Heath said.

"I did, but I moved back here two years ago. I've got myself a nice business selling crops now," James said.

"Well that's mighty fine," Heath said.

"How have you been? Did Heath Barkley finally find himself a lady? And a pretty one, too" James asked, referring to Audra.

"Oh no, this is-"

"I'm Audra Barkley, Heath's sister," Audra said, standing up and shaking James' hand.

"Sister? You never told me you had a sister," James said to Heath.

"At the time I didn't know it either," Heath said.

"Well certainly you ain't from here, where you heading?" James asked.

"Sacramento. Visiting friends," Heath said.

"I'm sorry, but I've failed to understand the relationship between you two. You were?" Audra asked.

"James is an old friend, Audra. We go way back," Heath said.

"We were inseparable when we were younger," James said.

"Well, James here was a troublemaker. I was the smart one. It balanced out pretty nicely," Heath said.

"It sure did. 'Member that time when I wanted to see if we could break the windows by throwing eggs at them?" James asked.

"And how when they didn't break, you punched one and nearly broke your hand?" Heath said.

"Haha, good times," James said.

The three talked while they ate their meal. The conversation mainly consisted of Heath and James telling Audra stories of when they were younger. Audra loved it. She didn't know much of Heath's past, so by hearing of all these stories she felt like she was starting to uncover a bit of what Heath was like.

"Well we best be on our way," Heath said after an hour long conversation.

"All right, I'll leave you two to it. Enjoy the rest of your journey. Keep in touch," James said.

Heath and James exchanged their information so they could write to each other. After saying their goodbyes, Heath and Audra mounted their horses again and headed towards Sacramento.

"How come you don't talk about your past, Heath?" Audra asked.

"What's there to talk about? I prefer the person I am now," Heath said.

"I'm sure a lot of people would. But don't you think we'd like to know more about who you used to be?" Audra asked.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, so can you just drop it?" Heath said angrily.

"Okay," Audra said quietly, kicking her horse to ride ahead of Heath.

Heath sighed. He'd have to apologize later. He knew Audra was just curious. She had a right to be, along with the rest of the family. Heath just wasn't too fond of growing up differently than they had. He knew his family wouldn't judge or think different of him if they knew, but he preferred it the way it was now.

After more hours of riding in silence, the sun began to set. They decided to make a fire and get some rest and continue traveling in the morning. They dismounted their horses and tied the reigns securely to a nearby tree.

Heath started a fire, not too big but enough to light up the area around them. They needed more wood for warmth.

"I'm gonna get some more wood," Heath said.

Audra didn't respond, she just sat down on a log.

Heath sighed and wandered into the woods, in search of wood and potentially something to eat. He had his gun handy, ready to shoot any animal they would consider eating.

Audra looked around at the scenery. There wasn't much to see, especially since it was dark. She heard footsteps, and assumed it was Heath. She turned around, ready to apologize for making Heath uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I asked about your past. I know you don't like to talk about it, and-" Audra stopped.

The person approaching her wasn't Heath, but James. Had he followed them?

"Audra, thank goodness. I was hoping I'd find you two, you forgot this," James said, lifting his hand to show what he was holding.

Audra squinted her eyes, trying to make out what he was holding. It was her small bag containing her dress.

"Oh how kind of you, I didn't know we forgot it," Audra said, though inside she was confused.

Heath packed the dress in a pocket on the saddle of the horse she was riding. Audra had no recollection of ever taking it out. She was certain Heath hadn't either, so how did it get left behind?

"Where's Heath? He leave you alone for the night?" James asked.

"No, he just left to get some more wood for the fire," Audra said, "He should be back soon."

"Mind if I keep you company until he comes back?" James asked.

"No, not at all. Thank you for riding all this way to give me my dress," Audra said.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do for a pretty lady like you," James said.

"What was Heath like when he was younger," Audra asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" James said.

"Heath doesn't like talking about his past," Audra said.

"Well, every man has their own secrets. Tell me, how is Heath now?" James asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Audra teased.

"Very funny. Say, Audra, how old are you?" James asked.

"I'm 19, 20 in a couple months," Audra said.

"And do you have a man in your life?"

"No, the only important men in my life are my brothers. Nick and Jarrod are my other brothers. Nick runs the ranch and Jarrod is a lawyer."

"I see. Would you be interested in having a man in your life?" James said, placing his hand on Audra's leg.

"No, not at the moment," Audra said, trying to pull her leg away from James.

"Why not?" James asked, slowly moving his hand up Audra's leg.

"Stop it, James," Audra said, pushing James' hand off her leg and standing up.

"I just want a bit of fun, Audra," James said, following Audra and grabbing her arms.

"Let go of me," Audra said, struggling to get out of James' strong grasp.

James pushed her up a tree, holding her hands above her head, and pressed his lips to her's.

"You don't know how badly I wanted to do that," James said, pulling back for a second and kissing her the next.

Audra screamed as loud as she possibly could.

Heath, who was coming back with his hands full of wood, immediately froze. He knew that scream, and he knew it never meant anything good. Heath dropped the wood and ran towards Audra's cries.

The scene in front of him made Heath want to throw up. He saw Audra, tears rolling down her cheeks, shirt torn, hair messed up, hands pinned and being forcefully kissed. Kissed by none other than his childhood friend, James.

Heath wasted no time, pulling James off of Audra and punching him straight in the face. He got a small dose of deja vu back from Audra's birthday party, when he punched Evan. Heath stared down at his old friend, knocked out after one punch.

"Heath," Heath heard Audra say.

The poor girl had faced too many situations like this. Heath wished he could take them all back. She buried her head in Heath's chest, while Heath just hugged her as she cried.

"Audra I think it's best if we spend the night traveling. We can catch up on sleep once we get to Sacramento, okay?" Heath said, pulling out of the hug.

Audra just nodded and grabbed the small bag with her dress. She assumed they hadn't forgotten it, but instead James took it and used it as an excuse to show up again.

Before they could get on their horses, Heath got tacked down. James had woken up and was now on top of Heath, punching him. Heath only took two punches to the face before pushing James off of him, landing some of his own punches on his former friend.

"Stay back," Heath told Audra.

Both Heath and James started fighting, neither really gaining the upper hand. It wasn't until James pushed Heath down and pulled out his gun did the circumstance change.

"Put your hands up," James told Heath, who followed the instructions.

"I really didn't want it to come to this," James said, cocking the gun.

"Stop!" Audra said, running out.

"I said to stay back, Audra," Heath said.

"Don't hurt him," Audra said to James, ignoring Heath.

"What makes you think I'll listen to that?" James asked.

"Please don't do this. Take me, leave Heath alone," Audra said.

"Audra, no-"

"You shut up!" James said, shaking his gun at Heath.

"I lied. I do want a man. You can be that man. Just don't hurt Heath," Audra said soothingly as she slowly walked towards James.

"You'd have to come with me," James said.

"I will," Audra said.

"Audra don't-"

"If I have to tell you to shut up one more time I'll blow your brains, and then your sister's," James said.

"James," Audra said, making James look at her, "Leave Heath alone. Take me."

"Come here," James said.

Audra slowly walked towards him while looking at Heath. She could tell he was begging her not to go with James. But she couldn't let him hurt Heath anymore than he already was.

When Audra was close enough, James grabbed her and held her by the waist.

"We're gonna have a lot of fun when we're alone," James said into Audra's ear, but loud enough for Heath to hear.

If it wasn't for the fact that James had turned the gun on Audra, Heath would have ran at James like a mad bull. It took every fiber in his being to keep him from moving.

"We're gonna go away now. Somewhere you'll never find us. And if you dare to even think of following us, I'll shoot miss pretty here right between the eyes," James said.

"Get on my horse, we're riding together," James said.

Audra obeyed, quietly making her way to James' horse.

"Remember what I said, Heath. Don't follow us," James said, then made his way over to his horse and got on with Audra.

Audra and Heath stared at each other for a few seconds. Audra tried to tell Heath she was sorry with her eyes, as Heath did the same thing.

The next second, James smacked his horse's rear and the two disappeared in the night. Heath immediately made his way to his horse. _James was crazy if he thinks I'm not gonna follow him_, Heath thought.

He checked to make sure he still had everything, kicking himself once he realized he had his gun on him the whole time and never used it. He wished he did. _Why did Audra do that? She's smart for her age, but that was just plain stupid_, Heath thought.

After waiting five minutes, Heath mounted his horse and followed the trail as best he could since it was dark. He knew two things for sure: He was gonna get Audra back, and he was going to kill James Patterson.

**X**

**Hey, this is my first Big Valley fanfic :) I love the relationship between Heath and Audra, and how protective Heath is of her. I wanted to switch the roles a bit in this chapter. Hope you like it, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Audra looked behind her, unsure whether she wanted to see Heath following from a distance or no one in sight. As expected, there was no Heath in sight. Still, she held out a slight hope that he went against James' wishes and decided to follow their tracks anyways. James pulled the reigns and stopped the horse, making Audra snap back to reality.

"Get off," James said, dismounting his horse.

Audra obeyed, asking, "What are we doing?"

"We've gone far enough for your eyes to see. It's time I blindfolded ya," James said, grabbing a bandana.

"I don't know where we are or which direction is home. There's really no need for that," Audra said, then paused when she looked down and saw tracks left by other horses and stagecoaches.

James noticed her staring, "What, you didn't expect you and good ol' Heath to be the only ones traveling this way? It's a common path used to get to Sacramento. All kinds of people pass these trails."

_ There goes Heath being able to follow our tracks_, Audra thought.

As if reading her mind, James said, "Tell me you didn't think I'd make it easy to find us? If I know Heath he's already lookin' for ya. It's just a matter of time before he realizes he ain't gonna be able to. Now turn around," he said, folding the bandana.

"I won't let you tie that around my head," Audra said.

"Sweetie, there's a lot of things you think you won't let me do. Go on and try me."

Audra only fixed her posture and stood her ground as best she could. James, who knew Heath was probably gaining on them, grabbed Audra's arms and turned her around. She tried to squirm, but somehow James held her in place and managed to tie the bandana around her eyes at the same time.

"We better do somethin' about those hands of yours too," James said, grabbing rope off of a hook on his horses saddle.

James pulled Audra's arms behind her back, tying them together at the wrists, making sure the knot was tight and secure. He helped Audra back on the saddle of the horse, then got on himself. With that, James whipped his reigns, continuing their journey.

After a couple minutes of riding, Audra tried to lift the blindfold a bit. She didn't want to take it off, only move it up a short amount so that she could partially see where they were going. With her hands tied behind her back, Audra quietly tried pushing up the blindfold by using her shoulder. It worked, and Audra could see what kind of terrain they were traveling through.

And it wasn't looking too good if she wanted Heath to find her.

They were going through the desert; More specifically, they were traveling on sand. Although it was not super windy, there was a breeze heavy enough to blow away any tracks that would be left behind. Audra was sure Heath wouldn't be able to find them now.

30-45 minutes passed, Audra guessed, though it felt a lot longer than that. She could still see the sandy desert. How long were they going to be traveling?

"Are we almost there?" Audra asked.

"You just be patient. We oughta reach our destination within the next hour."

Audra sighed. Just then, an idea struck her. She was wearing the necklace Heath had gotten her. If she could somehow grab it…

She went into action. She tried grabbing the necklace, but, with her hands being tied behind her back, she wasn't able to reach it. She pushed her chin against her collarbone, trying to use her teeth to grab the necklace. That didn't work either. So Audra tried to use her tongue, and after a couple of minutes of struggling, she took hold of the necklace.

Audra sharply turned her head and let go of the chain, turning the chain and making it fall far enough down her back for her hands to reach it. She yanked it, breaking the chain. It made a quiet sound, but James didn't seem to have heard it. That, or he didn't think it meant anything.

Audra then let go of the necklace, letting it drop to the ground. The necklace didn't make a sound once it hit the ground since it landed in the sand. She prayed Heath would find it.

After that, Audra again used her shoulder to push down the blindfold, making it appear as if she never touched it in the first place.

The two continued riding. Audra had no idea where they were, or where they were heading. Within what felt like an hour, the horse stopped. Audra heard James dismount, followed by him saying, "Let's go, we're here."

James led Audra into a house. They walked through a kitchen, and then into a bedroom.

"This'll be your room," James said.

"Now I got to do a couple of things, make yourself at home. Oh, and don't try to escape. The door will be locked, and if you even think about trying something, you will be punished. If you do somehow get out, I will find you. Do I make myself clear?" James said.

Audra nodded.

"Good. Now, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Wait!" Audra said before James could shut the door.

"What?"

"I… May I use the outhouse?" Audra shyly asked.

"That's the oldest trick in the books, don't think I'll fall for that one."

"We've been riding for hours! I'm not lying!"

James contemplated what she said for a couple of seconds. "Wait here," James said, shutting and locking the door.

'_Not like I have much of a choice_,' Audra thought.

James came back after a minute, and handed Audra a bowl.

"You can't be serious—"

"It's all you're gettin'. If you really need to go you'll use it," James said, before again shutting the door and locking it. Audra waited until she heard the sound of a horse galloping away before she started looking around the room, hoping to find some kind of weapon to use, or a way to escape. She was sure Heath wouldn't find them, so that left her with one thought:

_I have to get out of here myself_

* * *

Heath stopped. James' tracks were now mixed with all sorts of tracks left from other people. There had to be something that separated James' tracks from the others. He knew all their horses' shoes showed signs they were the Barkley's. Maybe...

Heath dismounted his horse, and got a closer look at the tracks. His prayers were answered when he saw the indented 'JP' on the horseshoe tracks. He got back on his horse and followed the trail left by James' horse. He didn't get very far before the tracks led him to the desert, where there was no sign of which direction the two went. Heath sighed.

This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

**X**

**X**

**X**

**Hey! Sorry, I'm a slow updater. Don't worry though, I will never leave a story unfinished! Please read and review :) **

**(Also I just found out James Patterson is a famous author... oops. I knew the name sounded familiar. Oh well, too late to change it.)**


	3. Chapter 3

Heath continued his aimless wandering. He didn't know which way James and Audra had gone after the tracks ended. With every passing second, he feared he went the wrong way. He had to have ridden in this direction for at least half an hour. The sun was out now, causing him to sweat. It definitely was not helping the situation.

Or so Heath thought.

He stopped, in the middle of nowhere. Maybe they didn't go this way. Heath knew there were towns down both the other directions, but not for many miles. He hoped that meant the two went straight, with the paths to the other towns on their left and right. Maybe he was wrong.

Until he saw it. Right before Heath fully turned around to go another way, something caught his eye. It took him a couple seconds for Heath to move his head in the right position to find that small shine again, but he did.

Once he saw it, he locked his eyes on it and got off his horse to see what it was. Slightly buried in the sand, Heath uncovered a necklace. He turned it around. Realization struck him. It wasn't just any necklace.

It was Audra's necklace.

Normally, Heath couldn't tell the difference between any of Audra's jewelry. But this one was different. Heath has gotten this for Audra. There was something about it that he thought was eye-capturing. What could he say, it proved his theory to be true.

Heath put the necklace in his pocket. Now he knew he was going the right way.

The only question was how much farther did he have to go?

* * *

Audra stood up, hearing the door open and slam shut. Sadly, there was nothing in the room she could use as a weapon. Maybe the bowl James had given her, but it wouldn't be enough to knock him out, and that would only upset him further. Audra didn't like listening to him but she wasn't dumb enough to do things that would make James angrier if it didn't help her situation.

She waited, staring at the door with her hands pressed against the bed frame. Hearing footsteps get louder and louder then finally stop, Audra waited for the door to open. Nothing happened for a few more seconds, making her wonder if she somehow imagined the footsteps. Then, the sound of a key being put in the knob was heard, and the door was pushed open to reveal James.

"Here, put this on," James said, tossing a small shiny object to Audra.

She caught it, then opened her hands to see what it was. "A ring?" Audra asked.

"Now, if Heath's half the boy I once knew, I'm sure he's coming closer to finding us."

That made Audra feel good. At least James knew that Heath would come for her, and that he would find them.

"That's why we can't stay here," James said.

"What?!"

"Stop questioning everything and put on that ring!"

"Why?"

"Didn't ya just hear me? We can't stop here. Maybe some day we can come back, but we ain't stopping now. We gotta keep going, somewhere Heath'll never find us."

"No matter how far we go, Heath won't stop looking."

"Maybe true, but with enough time, you'll be a whole new woman," James said, cupping Audra's chin.

"Don't touch me," Audra said, slapping James' hand away.

"Don't you worry, you'll get used to it," James said, "Wait til I really get my hands on you. But first, we gotta change some things. I gotta make sure you don't look like you do now."

"Just how are you going to do that?"

"We can start with cuttin' off that hair of yours. It sure is pretty, but it's gonna have to be a lot shorter. Maybe one day you can grow it back again."

"I won't cut my hair, and I most certainly won't be going anywhere with you. Why did you give me a ring, anyways?"

"You, pretty lady, are gonna be my wife," James said with a smirk.

"I would never marry you!" Audra said, throwing her ring at James.

She hadn't realized how stupid that was until she had done it. James was furious. He stormed out of the room, coming back with a small knife.

"You will come with me, you will put that ring on, you will marry me, and you will love me!" James said, shakily pointing the knife at Audra.

"I could never love you," Audra said.

She didn't regret saying it either. Not until James got even madder, if it was possible.

"Ya know, maybe we ain't got to cut your hair. You ain't got to wear the ring either, I'll kill you right now! Heath can find you dead,. Or maybe I'll just wait for him to show up and kill him too!" James said, pointing the knife dangerously close to Audra's face.

"James I'm sorry. Please… put the knife down. I'll do it, I'll wear the ring, and go with you, just don't hurt me… or Heath," Audra said, way more concerned for Heath's safety than her own.

"Good girl. But you gotta learn a lesson."

"What do you mea-"

James pushed Audra against the wall. He lightly pressed the knife against her arm, then pressed his lips against hers. Audra tried to do something, but she couldn't. Instead, when James pulled away, she spat in his face.

"Now that," James said, wiping the spit off on his sleeve, "was stupid. If that ain't gonna get through to ya, then maybe something else will!"

James brought the knife up against Audra's face. He pressed the cool metal against her cheek.

"You sure do have a pretty face. It's too good to scar," James said, pulling the knife off her face, making Audra internally sigh in relief.

"But the rest of your body can have some," James said.

Before Audra could even process what he said, He tore off her sleeve. He pressed her against the wall and began to lightly cut into her arm. He didn't do any cuts too deep, just multiple shallow ones. Ones that barely bled but still hurt, sort of like a paper cut. Audra refused to scream, not sure if it would satisfy James or not. She alternated from biting her lip and tongue, but didn't scream.

Once her left arm was covered in cuts, James moved on the the next arm. Audra once again tried to break free, but it was no use. He tore off the other sleeve and began cutting that arm as well. With Audra's squirming, the cuts ran deeper and some actually drew a good amount of blood. It wasn't a pretty sight to see.

"Learned your lesson?" James asked after covering both arms in small cuts and a few deep ones.

Audra nodded, squinting her eyes in pain.

"Good. Now, put this on like I told ya," James said, throwing the ring at Audra.

She picked it up and put it on.

"From now on, your name's Holly Patterson, got it?!" James said.

Again, Audra nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna make us some food, then we're gonna leave here. Heath ain't ever gonna find us," James said, leaving and locking the door.

Audra looked at her arms. It wasn't anything major, but they did hurt pretty badly. She wasn't used to cuts or much pain of any kind, really.

She sat on the bed, laying her head against the wall, with one pleading thought in her mind.

_Please hurry, Heath._

**X**

**Another chapter in the books, yay! Sorry this was short. Also sorry about the arm cutting part. It was kinda gross to write. Please leave a review! I'll do my best to get back to you ASAP! :)**


End file.
